Two things I know to be true: 1. I loved Nier and 2. Platinum Games is a bad-ass developer.
One thing I'm not sure of: Whether or not Platinum should be working on an action/RPG.
It's certainly true that Nier was an action/RPG; it did press the player to be at least competent with a controller. However, it was still a role-playing game first and foremost in my mind, due to the fact that action did not take center-stage . No matter how skilled you are with a gamepad, if you're not well prepared (preparation and planning is a hallmark of RPGs), you won't succeed. Plus, we got a sprawling map, towns, and a central narrative that drove everything forward.
I'm not worried about the narrative; even though Platinum often gives us purposely cheesy stories (see Bayonetta ), they're used to delivering linear, story-driven games. I just worry that with Platinum's background, Nier 2 's emphasis will shift. If it puts action at the forefront, I'm going to be disappointed. If they simply build on the mechanic that existed in the original, I'll be ecstatic. Platinum knows fighting systems perhaps better than any other team on the planet; they just have to respect the game's RPG core.
Hey, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was a super fun game, and quite well done. But it was hardly Metal Gear Solid . It wasn't supposed to be, of course, but it's just another example of Platinum's madcap style and extreme emphasis on over-the-top action. Vanquish is another example. Great games all, but how will they handle a Nier sequel…?
I wonder.
